Portable machine set-off



June 21, 1960 w. M. LUTTS, SR

PORTABLE MACHINE SET-OFF 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 27, 1957 June 21, 1960 w. M. LUTTS, SR 2,941,724

PORTABLE MACHINE SET-OFF Filed Sept. 27, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet- 2 INVENTOR.

June 21, 1960 w. M. LUTTS, SR 2,941,724

PORTABLE MACHINE SET-OFF PORTABLE MACHINE SET-OFF William'MJLutts, S r.,"4 1 02 Berkshire Ave,

v Louisville, Ky.

FEiled'Sept. 27,"1957,- Ser..No.686,688

1 Claim. (31. 238-40 This-invention relates to portable machine set-offs for removing 'different types of roadway maintenance machines from the railroad track-for thepurpose of per- Ftiriitting trains .to...pass.

lti lnlthejpastthere have been set-offs developed to perfifor mi'thisutype. of operation. The various railroads'have i iv enirnuch attention, .and .have spent large "sums of oney'tltrying to develop aportablemachine set-off that "will be'ipraictical. and safe,.and one that can be 1 dismantled, ltridved';aridreassembled..quickly, so that trains will not Fib'el'delayed'tand machines .can be used :for longer. periods torrttme onzthe. track. 1

An object of my invention is to provide an improved structure for uselinililisplacingsa wheeled vehicle to and gtf rqm arrailroadtrack and from .andintoa positionalongaside the t aces... i t

Another object is to provide an improved structure of the above type having a run-off track unit readily alignable with thewheels of a wheeled vehicle prior to movement of that vehicle toward that track unit.

Another object is to provide an improved structure of the above type having means for removably anchoring the same to a railroad track at a selected distance therefrom and Without interference with the ties supporting that track.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which, r

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the structure in assembled position with respect to the railroad track and prior to positioning of the transfer rails upon that track.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing the transfer rails in position and the vehicle raised in readiness to move along the transfer rails to the run- 01f track unit.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l and showing the trans fer rails removed to permit passage of :a train along the track and with the vehicle resting in set-off position upon the structure.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and showing the trans fer rails in position and the vehicle in readiness to be transferred to the railroad track.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6---6 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 77 of Fig. l.

' In accordance with the invention, there is provided a light weight, sturdy, supporting framework having adjustable ground-engaging legs which are adaptable to terrain generally found alongside railroad tracks and which framework can readily be assembled and disassembled rapidly by two men. The framework which is strong enough to support a wide variety of vehicles used for track maintenance, or the like, has a slidable run-off track unit permitting quick alignment with the wheels of the vehicle as when those wheels are raised from the railroad track. In addition, the framework is strongly braced and is adapted to be rigidly anchored to the track ata selected distance therefrom without interference with 2 the ties bfthe track. A pair of readily removable transfer rails having provision for preventing spreading of the sameand "for preventing the vehicle from inadvertently rolling olfthe distal end of the transfer rails, is used-to transfer the vehicle from the railroad track to. therunoff -track unit and to re-trans-fer the vehicle torthe railroad track.

The structure, herein referred to as the portable .ma-

chinestet-dlf mayconiprise the following parts and may be use'd in flthe followingmanner. Itis assembledland attached toQtheQbiseof one'of the railroad rails 16 as shown in 'Figure I. 'I'hen a short time before attainis due, themaintena'nce machine 10 is movedto'the locamachine- 11i is then lowered by 'meansof the jack 13,

so .that the wheels 14-come to rest on the rails 12. After ithe jack 13 has beenraisedenough to clear the railroad rail 16,-the 'rna;intenance machine 10 is moved, under its own-power; on the set-oif framework generally shown at 13., and the rails 12-a're removed as shown in Figure 3. Ihetrain 'can now pass. As soonas the train has passed, the rails l l are replaced and tied with the .tie bar 15.

The machine lfiis ithen moved over the railroad track, 30

.appropriate adistance and lowered until its wheels 14 jackedzup; rails l zr removed, machine 1 10 is rotated an come .to rest on the railroad rails 16 and 17. After the jack 13 has been raised enough to clear .the railroad ties, the machine v1G is moved to the desired position and work is resumed.

Two rail hook assemblies 18 anchor the machine setotf framework 11 and four ground-engaging legs or colurnns support it. The parallel beams 20 each have a collar 21 at each end which fit around their respective 23 from moving with respect to the railroad rails 16 in the direction of the rail sections 23, and yet allow the rail sections 23 tobe moved in directions parallel to the beams 20. The transfer rail sections 12 each have two insulating members 25 attached to the under side, spaced to register with the railroad rails 16 and 17, so that the machine set-off 11 will not operate railroad signals controlled by track circuits as those transfer rails rest upon the tops of those railroad track rails.

The proximate end of each of the transfer rail sections 12 which mates with an end of run off rail section 2 3 has a coupling plate 26 attached at the bottom, and a coupling bar 27 attached to each side. The respective transfer rail and run off rail sections .12 and 23 have wheel stops 28 attached to their free ends to prevent machine it from going off the rails. Rail sections 12 and 23 are accurately held to the desired spacing or gage by the respective tie bars 15 and 29 which fit into sockets 30 attached to the inner sides of rail sections 12 and 23. The ends 31 of tie bar 15 also provide stops against railroad rail 17, so that, rail sections 12 cannot uncouple improperly from rail sections 23.

Railroad rightof-ways are usually not level and thus the bases 32 of columns '19 are as a rule not all in the same horizontal plane. And in order to have the rail sections 12- and 23 practically level, columns 19 are made 'with anumber of closely spaced holes 33. The sleeves 21 of beams also have one or more sets of holes 24 which can be made to register with holes 33 by moving the beam 20 up or down. When the beams have been adjusted to get the rail sections ,12 and 23 about level, pinsi35 are inserted inn-the nearest set of holes that can be made .toregister ine'ach of the four columns 19. Pins 35 are attached to beams 20 with chains 36 to prevent loss of the pins. 1 a -.i rThe'rail hook assembly 18 is opened wide enough to I allow hook end 37 to be placed over one edge of the rail- 7 road r ail lbaseJand: the swivel hook 318 is inserted in one of the holes39 in plate 40. Then with the V opening in swivel jaw 41 turned so that it will straddle the other edge of the railroad rail base, tubular member 42, which isattached to screw 43, is turned until swivel jaw 41' is forced against the edge of the railroad rail base. Railroad ties are not always uniformly spaced, and because the rail hook assembly 18 is placed between the ties, the

' position of the swivel hook 38 on the opposite end will very with tie spacing. Because of this variation in spac ing there are a number of holes 39 in each of the plates 40, so that the swivel book 38 may be inserted in the nearest hole. .The rail hook assembly 18 may be varied in overall length by removing bolt 44, and sliding screw 43 in tubular member 42 until hole 45 in the screw reg- .,isters with a pair of holes 46 in the tubular member.

The bolt '44 is then inserted in this set of holes.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Meanstor displacing a wheeled vehicle to and from a railroad track and from and into a position alongside said 'side track and comprising in combination, a supporting frameworkincluding adjustable ground-engaging legs, a plurality of generally horizontal parallel beams supported by said legs and bracing said framework in a first direction and a plurality of separate bracing members retaining said beams in spaced relation to each other and bracing said framework in a second direction, the axis of said parallel beams being generally parallel to the axis of said railroad track, a run-off track unit including a pair of parallel rails rigidly joined to each other and spaced from each other and slidable along the axis of said beams, means for preventing movement of said run-01f track unit transversely of said beams, means for rigidly anchoring said framework to said railroad track at a selected distance therefrom, and a pair'of transfer'railsparallel to each other and spaced from each other and removably engageable with the tops of the rails of said railroad track and the ends of the rails of said run-01f track unit, said transfer rails having means interconnecting the same tor preventing spreading thereof during displacement of the vehicle therealong.

References Cited in the file of this patent Great Britain Ian. 20, 1. 49 

